How to stop my engine breaking off...

[Huojin]

So, getting to the Mun with stock parts! In terms of getting to the Mun, not a problem. Landing, on the other hand... I always get close, but some how or another I start drifting a little and eventually my 'landing fins' break off, or one of them does, and my engine just falls off the moment it touches the surface. This happens even if I\'m not drifting, and everything is going smoothly, and for the life of me, I can\'t get my engine to stay on. Any advice?

[rcsguns]

I have found in testing lunar landing modules that hitting the ground on the lander legs will detach the engine. Just decrease your sink rate is the only answer.

[Alchemist]

Because of high probability of this event my landers usually have separate return stage: chute+pod+2RCS tanks+8RCS blocks.

Yes, it can reach Kerbin from the surface of Mun. With up to 0.4 tank left (so it gives you some error margin). Just don\'t forget to press H when landing - it\'s a bit too heavy for chute only.

And if the lander is light enough, it can land on the engine without breaking it.

[Huojin]

My lander is about as light as it gets... chute+pod+AdvSAS+fuel+engine+3 radial decouplers+3 fins

I suppose I could ditch the Adv. SAS, but my landing is dodgy enough as it is without needing to struggle to stay pointed at the indicator point on the compass to show you\'re landing right.

Alchemist, are you saying your lander is entirely RCS, and can return to Kerbin without an engine?

[Saaur]

No, he\'s saying his lander has an engine to land with, but if (when) the engine breaks off, he has a return stage that\'s pure RCS.

[Huojin]

Ahhh, alrighty. I was just doubtful that RCS was enough to return to Kerbin. Doubt I can do it, but worth a shot.

[Huojin]

Munar 12 mission launched, with the intention of trying out this adaptation. It only occurred to me recently, though, that I don\'t have anywhere the full set of keyboard commands for directing RCS thrusters. H is... would you call it downward or upward thrust? The bit nozzle that points towards the ground, at any rate.

[Alchemist]

That\'s my lightest failproof lander (LML). It\'s capable of landing even if previous stage is dropped after TMI (once it almost finished TMI - the lander started from this point and landed without problem) and the return stage can return even if you break the engine (but if you don\'t break it, it sometimes can get you almost to LMO using the lander\'s fuel). Designed this after all attempts at using makeshift legs failed. Light enough to survive engine-landing without breaking (at least in about 50% cases)

And the other screenshot - my newest lander (MLX-2) - it uses these tanks instead of the cruise stage and winglets for landing (on start it just additionally has 3 liquid fuel boosters). Total craft lighter than LML with its launch vehicle, still overpowered - just got the entire lander back to Kerbin\'s atmosphere. And these legs don\'t tend to fail.

Protip: if you land with RCS and ASAS on don\'t put too many RCS in the bottom (even if it makes translation controls a bit unbalanced) - that can tear your lander apart next second after touchdown.

[Huojin]

Finally managed a secure landing, winglet legs and engine intact. Munar 12, first mission with emergency RCS thrusters for return onboard, ended up not needing them >_>

My lander stage ended up being chute+pod+decoupler+2RCS tanks+8RCS thrusters+decoupler+advanced SAS+fuel tank+engine+3 radial decouplers+3 winglets. I fully expected it to fall over, but somehow it survived.

[Ivan Ivanovich]

It\'s actually not that hard once you get the hang of it. What you need is simply:

ASAS

RCS

6-8 RCS thrusters around the top of your craft

some spare fuel to burn

Then just aim for the landing spot, break burn until the direction indicator is on top of the blue part of the artificial horizon (pointing upwards or downwards, either is fine). Get your rocket to point EXACTLY at the vertical angle and burn a little until your rocket stops its descent (or... well, wait with the burn until it starts descending if you\'re climbing). Burn just enough to descend slowly. Now use the RCS thrusters to move your direction indicator. If it\'s right or left of the center, burn RCS towards it (i.e. j for left, l for right). If it\'s above it, burn downwards (k), if it\'s below, burn upwards (i).

Once you have it centered, all that\'s left is lowering your rocket \'til it touches the ground. Try to have a downward speed of about 1-2m/s when you touch the ground, make sure you have ASAS and RCS on when you touch down (because then the rocket will automatically do what it can to keep from tilting over), let it come to rest, turn off RCS and ASAS and welcome to the Mun.